Intel Core i7-3970X vs Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5

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CPU comparison with benchmarks

-VS-

CPU lineage

Intel Core i7-3970X or Intel Core i7-3970X – which processor offers superior performance? In this comparison, we examine disparities and assess which of these two CPUs outperforms the other. We delve into technical specifications and benchmark outcomes.
The Intel Core i7-3970X features 6 processor cores and has the capability to manage 12 threads concurrently.
It was released in Q4/2012 and belongs to the 3 generation of the Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition series.
To use the Intel Core i7-3970X, you'll need a motherboard with a LGA 2011 socket.
The Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5 features 4 processor cores and has the capability to manage 8 threads concurrently.
It was released in Q4/2015 and belongs to the 5 generation of the Intel Xeon E3 series.
To use the Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5, you'll need a motherboard with a BGA 1440 socket.
Intel Core i 3000X Group Intel Xeon E3 v5
3 Generation 5
Desktop / Server Segment Desktop / Server
Intel Core i7-3970X Name Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition Family Intel Xeon E3
 
 

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Intel Core i7-3970X has 6 CPU cores and can calculate 12 threads in parallel.
The clock frequency of the Intel Core i7-3970X is 3.5 GHz
and turbo frequency for one core is 4.0 GHz.
The number of CPU cores greatly affects the speed of the processor and is an important performance indicator.
The Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5 has 4 CPU cores and can calculate 8 threads in parallel.
The clock frequency of the Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5 is 2.8 GHz
and turbo frequency for one core is 3.7 GHz.
12 Threads 8
6x Cores 4x
6 CPU Cores 4
normal Core architecture normal
Yes Hyperthreading Yes
Yes Overclocking No
4.0 GHz Turbo Frequency (1 core) 3.7 GHz
3.5 GHz Frequency 2.8 GHz
4.0 GHz Turbo Frequency (all cores) 3.3 GHz
 
 

Internal Graphics

The Intel Core i7-3970X does not have integrated graphics.
The Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5 has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short.
Specifically, the Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5 uses the Intel HD Graphics P530, which has 192 texture shaders
and 24 execution units.
The iGPU uses the system's main memory as graphics memory and sits on the processor's die.
-- Shaders 192
-- Release date Q3/2015
-- Technology 14 nm
-- Direct X 12
0 bytes Max. GPU Memory 32.0 GB
-- Max. displays --
-- Execution units 24
-- GPU frequency 0.35 GHz
-- Generation 9
-- GPU (Turbo) 1.05 GHz
GPU name Intel HD Graphics P530
 
 

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

-- AI specifications --
-- AI hardware --
 
 

Hardware codec support

A photo or video codec that is accelerated in hardware can greatly accelerate the working speed of a processor and extend the battery life of notebooks or smartphones when playing videos.
-- VP8 Decode / Encode
-- VC-1 Decode
-- JPEG Decode / Encode
-- AV1 No
-- h265 / HEVC (8 bit) Decode / Encode
-- AVC Decode / Encode
-- h264 Decode / Encode
-- VP9 No
-- h265 / HEVC (10 bit) No
 
 

Memory & PCIe

The processor supports a maximum memory capacity of 64.0 GB distributed across 4 memory channels. It offers a peak memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s. Both the type and quantity of memory can have a substantial impact on the overall system performance.
The processor supports a maximum memory capacity of 64.0 GB distributed across 2 memory channels. It offers a peak memory bandwidth of 34.1 GB/s. Both the type and quantity of memory can have a substantial impact on the overall system performance.
pci PCIe pci
Yes AES-NI Yes
DDR3-1600 Memory type DDR4-2133, DDR3L-1600, LPDDR3-1866
No ECC Yes
64.0 GB Max. Memory 64.0 GB
4 Memory channels 2
51.2 GB/s Bandwidth 34.1 GB/s
 
 

Thermal Management

The processor has a thermal design power (TDP) of 150 W watts.
TDP indicates the cooling solution needed to effectively manage the processor's heat. It generally provides an approximate indication of the actual power consumption of the CPU itself.
The processor has a thermal design power (TDP) of 45 W watts.
None TDP down 35 W
150 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 45 W
-- Tjunction max 100 °C
 
 

Technical details

The Intel Core i7-3970X is manufactured using a 32 nm process.
A smaller manufacturing process indicates a more contemporary and energy-efficient CPU.
In total, this processor boasts a generous 15.0 MB cache.
A substantial cache can significantly enhance the processor's performance, particularly in scenarios like gaming.
The Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5 is manufactured using a 14 nm process.
In total, this processor boasts a generous 8.0 MB cache.
Q4/2012 Release date Q4/2015
VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d (C2 Stepping) Virtualization VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d
SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX ISA extensions SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2
32 nm Technology 14 nm
Monolithic Chip design Monolithic
820 $ Release price 434 $
Sandy Bridge E Architecture Skylake S
15.0 MB L3-Cache 8.0 MB
Windows 10, Linux Operating systems Windows 10, Linux
Technical data sheet Documents Technical data sheet
x86-64 (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) x86-64 (64 bit)
-- Part Number --
LGA 2011 Socket BGA 1440
0 bytes L2-Cache 0 bytes
 
 

Benchmarks

Geekbench 3, 64bit (Multi-Core)

Intel Core i7-3970X
6C 12T @ 3.5 GHz
19425
19425
Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
4C 8T @ 2.8 GHz
14074
14074

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Multi-Core)

Intel Core i7-3970X
6C 12T @ 3.5 GHz
4981
4981
Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
4C 8T @ 2.8 GHz
3859
3859

Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)

Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
4C 8T @ 2.8 GHz
4296
4296
Intel Core i7-3970X
6C 12T @ 3.5 GHz
3512
3512

CPU-Z Benchmark 17 (Multi-Core)

Intel Core i7-3970X
6C 12T @ 3.5 GHz
2623
2623
Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
4C 8T @ 2.8 GHz
1563
1563

Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)

Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
4C 8T @ 2.8 GHz
1308
1308
Intel Core i7-3970X
6C 12T @ 3.5 GHz
742
742

Cinebench R15 (Multi-Core)

Intel Core i7-3970X
6C 12T @ 3.5 GHz
1065
1065
Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
4C 8T @ 2.8 GHz
716
716